Union calls for more child protection workers

The CPSU says more workers will reduce the number of cases each tackles.

The State Government has dismissed calls from the Community Public Sector Union for more case workers in the Department for Child Protection.

The CPSU's Rikki Hendon is using National Child Protection Week to call on the Government to lift the cap on the number of case workers working for the department, because it says there were over 6,000 open cases in July this year.

"The department needs to be able to meet demand," she said.

Ms Hendon says more child protection workers would reduce the number of cases.

"We believe it's under resourced and that stems from restrictions that have been placed on the department in terms of the number of staff the department can employ," she said.

The Minister, Robyn McSweeney, says since she took office in 2008, the department's budget has increased by 57 per cent.

She also says her department is under the cap and there is no need to employ more case workers.

"We have 253 extra case workers from when I first took over as minister," she said.

"Case loads are at 12.5 and as we know case loads are set at 15 so if every district has case loads of 12.5, there is no need for more case workers."